GM Crops

Lord Turnberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the light of the recommendations of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in its report The Use of GM Crops in Developing Countries, whether the investment in publicly-funded research into genetically modified crops is adequate to fulfil the United Kingdom's obligations to third-world countries.

Baroness Amos: The Government welcome the report from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics on The Use of GM Crops in Developing Countries. The report offers a constructive contribution to the on-going debate on genetic modification technologies. The Government share the report's conclusions that achieving food security and reducing poverty in developing countries are complex issues, that GM crops are unlikely to feed the world but that in some circumstances they could make a useful contribution to improving the livelihoods of poor people in developing countries.
	The Department for International Development is currently preparing a new strategy to guide its future research investments. Under this, the department expects to maintain a substantial programme of agricultural research. In support of this intention, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development recently announced an additional £30 million over the next three years for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, a major part of the global effort to mobilise agricultural science to reduce poverty. Some of this funding may support research on genetic modification technologies provided that they have the potential to benefit poor farmers if used safely and responsibly and that developing countries themselves are able to make their own informed choices on whether to adopt these technologies. DfID seeks to ensure that all technologies that it promotes are safe, affordable, appropriate and respond to demand from poor people.

Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe and River Danube

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans for major economic investments have been agreed as a result of the Stability Pact for south-eastern Europe; and whether by now the Danube Commission has been successful in reopening the river to full navigation and restoring damaged and destroyed bridges.

Baroness Amos: Since 1999 the stability pact has worked to enhance the economic investment environment in south-east Europe by establishing an infrastructure steering group. This group includes the European Investment Bank, World Bank, European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, Council of Europe Bank and is chaired by the European Commission. Under the framework of the stability pact, 57 infrastructure projects in phase 1 have received a total of 3.68 billion euros in three sectors: regional transport, energy and environment. The next phase will also focus on infrastructure investment and is on-going. The stability pact has also encouraged foreign direct investment by helping to create free trade in the region.
	Details are available at http://www.stabilitypact.org/investment/default.asp
	The river Danube is open for navigation. All of the debris from the bridges destroyed in 1999 was cleared from the river by May 2003 and almost 7,000 vessels passed through Novi Sad in 2003. The Danube Commission is not responsible for rebuilding the bridges. However, one bridge has been replaced by a pontoon bridge (river traffic is allowed through every second night), one by a temporary bridge and one bridge is being rebuilt, with completion expected by the end of 2004.

Police Service: Staff Support Associations

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Gay Police Association and the Black Police Association are officially recognised by the Metropolitan Police and other police forces in the United Kingdom; whether they have any negotiating rights of representation; and, if so, whether the same recognition and rights would be extended to other police associations seeking to promote interests involving race, colour, sexual preference or particular lifestyles.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: None of the staff support associations, including the Black Police Association and the Gay Police Association, is formally recognised by the Metropolitan Police Service for collective bargaining purposes; nor do they have the representational or negotiating rights of the Police Federation, Superintendents' Association or the recognised constituent trade unions. The staff support associations are however consulted regarding policy changes, particularly with regard to diversity issues.
	The Government have a shared interest in working collaboratively with these and other staff associations, including the British Association for Women in Policing. They are represented on a number of Home Office groups and are consulted on a wide range of policy initiatives to improve diversity in the workplace and to ensure effective delivery of policing services to all communities. The National Black Police Association, for example, is represented on the Lawrence Steering Group, contributing to diversity issues and providing a vital perspective on the link between communities and police.

Faith Communities Unit

Lord Janner of Braunstone: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How the Home Office Faith Communities Unit relates to the Government's review of their interface with faith communities, which was due to report back at the end of 2003.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Members of the Faith Communities Unit form the secretariat of the steering group which is taking forward the review, and of the working group which reports to the steering group. This role includes drafting papers and report chapters, arranging and minuting meetings, and making arrangements for the publication of the review report which is due in March 2004.
	The conclusion of the review was delayed for one month by a decision of the chair, Fiona Mactaggart, to accede to a request from the faith community representatives on the steering group to be allowed more time to finalise the report.

Cannabis

Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is found in:
	(a) most cannabis; and
	(b) skunk cannabis; and
	What proportion used in the United Kingdom they believe to be skunk cannabis.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The THC content of different cannabis products has varied and continues to vary widely. The Forensic Science Service (FSS) regularly analyses drug seizures and indicates that new growing techniques since the 1990s have led to some new products, such as skunk, coming onto the market with average THC levels two or three times greater than for other cannabis products.
	There is no accurate estimate available for the proportion of skunk available as a proportion of all cannabis used in the U.K. The FSS has little recorded information on the type of herbal cannabis encountered. However, anecdotal information from FSS scientists suggests that there has been an increase in "skunk" type cannabis in both police and customs seizures.

Cannabis

Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in cannabis can produce a psychotic reaction.

Lord Warner: Research suggests that cannabis, especially in high doses, can produce a "toxic psychosis" in individuals who have no history of severe mental illness, and that one constituent delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) itself has dose-related effects producing acute symptoms and signs. These resolve themselves once the effect of the drug wears off.

Fungal Diseases

Lord Turnberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps are being taken to prevent and treat diseases due to fungal infections.

Lord Warner: Fungal infections range from common, mild superficial infections such as athlete's foot to serious life-threatening diseases such as invasive aspergillosis which normally affect immuno-compromised patients. Antifungal drugs are available but reducing the number of invasive cases is especially important in hospitals and guidance 1 is available.
	1 Department of Health. NHS Estates. Infection control in the built environment: design and planning. London, The Stationery Office. Second edition 2002.

Fungal Diseases

Lord Turnberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the budget allocated to research into the causes and treatment of fungal diseases.

Lord Warner: The Department of Health has recently commissioned a £120,000 study into the relationship between antifungal drug use, salivary gland dysfunction and antifungal drug resistance in patients with advanced cancer. The department also supports fungal disease research carried out within the National Health Service. South Manchester University Hospital NHS Trust and Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust have an ongoing programme of research on invasive fungal diseases. The two trusts spent £227,000 on this programme in 2002–03. In addition, the department supports fungal disease research carried out by the Health Protection Agency.
	The Medical Research Council has supported research on fungal diseases and is currently funding one grant.
	The total value of grants and studentships awarded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council since 1997 for research into the causes and treatment of fungal diseases is approximately £3.5 million. This figure relates to animal and human fungal pathogens.

Fungal Diseases

Lord Turnberg: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many laboratories specialise in the investigation and treatment of life-threatening fungal diseases; and whether they consider this number adequate to meet the need.

Lord Warner: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has a national mycology reference centre, at Bristol, and two HPA regional laboratories (at Manchester and Cardiff) which have a special interest and capabilities in mycology.
	Most National Health Service pathology services have a microbiology laboratory which is able to test for fungal infections to meet local clinical demand.

School Session Times

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Department for Education and Skills Innovation Unit, in considering proposals from schools to introduce innovative changes in the school day, requires schools to consult parents before agreeing to such changes.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Department for Education and Skills' Innovation Unit currently handles applications made under the powers to facilitate innovation set out in the Education Act 2002. Such applications have included proposals from schools to introduce innovative changes in the school day.
	The Education Act 2002, Section 4, requires that if the governing body of a qualifying school, maintained by a local education authority, wishes to make an application for an order under the "Power to Innovate", they must consult that local education authority and such persons as appear to them to be appropriate. In doing so they must have regard to any guidance given by the Secretary of State which sets out advice for applicants on the issue of consultation.
	In any application that involved a change to the timings of the school day, which impacts on the parental body, the department is clear that direct consultation with parents must take place.
	Information on the consultation an applicant has undertaken is made available to the School Standards Minister so he can decide on whether to grant an order.

School Swimming

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will (a) provide an update on the swimming review which is part of the Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links Strategy; and (b) detail the funding available to implement the review.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Swimming work strand within the national PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy, has taken forward all of the key recommendations made by the Swimming Advisory Group. An executive summary of the group's report and the Government's response was published on 17 October 2002 and a copy was placed in the House of Lords Library. We have:
	created (in October 2002) a new swimming and water safety website which provides practical support for schools and swimming teachers;
	carried out (during the summer term 2003) two pilot programmes to test out how best to support those children who reach the end of key stage 2 unable to swim 25 metres; an executive summary of this report was published on 21 January 2004; and
	published a Swimming Charter in December 2003. The charter offers guidance, best practice case studies and provides practical support to help schools and local authorities overcome many of the challenges they face when planning and delivering school swimming.
	Furthermore, the national strategy's professional development work strand will help to improve the quality of swimming teaching throughout England. The programme will identify where there is most need and provide specific professional development and support to help ensure high quality swimming tuition in schools. The programme went live in 2003.
	I refer the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, to the Answer I gave him on 8 January 2004, (Official Report, col. WA 57) which gives the names and budgets of the PE and school sports programmes run jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education and Skills.

Stakeholder Pensions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the Treasury will announce its decision on whether to relax the 1 per cent management charge levy on stakeholder pensions.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The Financial Services Authority is currently consumer testing the simplified sales process for the new stakeholder product suite. The Government will decide on the level of the charge cap for the pension within the product suite when the results of the research are known, later this year.
	The form of the selling regime will be one of the factors taken into account by the Government in the decision on the charge cap.

Horse Passports: VAT

Lord Burnham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether a decision has been finalised on the application of VAT to horse passports.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The issue of horse passports by a VAT-registered business in return for payment is a service that would be subject to VAT.

Sports Coaching Qualifications: Funding

Lord Pendry: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What routes are available for volunteers to access government-funded courses leading to recognised coaching qualifications.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: SkillsActive is the new Sector Skills Council for active leisure and learning whose role is to help connect organisations developing and offering qualifications to work in the sector with appropriate opportunities to attract funding for individual candidates. One of the early priorities for SkillsActive is to develop a co-ordinated strategy to access mainstream government funding opportunities that have the potential to support people development in sport and recreation, particularly in the area of coaching. At a local level, individuals are supported by county sports partnerships and local authorities to access funding, and scholarship opportunities are also available through Sport England's lottery programme.

Drug Free Sport Directorate

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answers by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 20 January (WA 131–132), who made the decision to suspend the Head of the Drug Free Sport Directorate at UK Sport; and whether before the final decision was taken there were discussions about the decision with the interim chair of UK Sport, the Minister for Sport, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and officials from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The acting chair of UK Sport is presently in discussion with the director of Drug Free Sport about her future. For the time being, she remains on leave. As part of the acting chair's mandated responsibility to reform UK Sport, she is in regular dialogue with both the Minister and the Secretary of State, who have been kept fully informed of developments.

Drug Free Sport Directorate

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 5 January (WA 20), how much the review by PMP consultants of the Drug Free Sport Directorate at UK Sport is costing; and whether the consultants will have access to the report produced for the chief executive of UK Sport by Dr Roger Jackson on the United Kingdom system of drug testing.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Council of UK Sport appointed PMP Consulting to review the Drug Free Sport Directorate following a competitive tendering process The cost of the report will be £29,800. A private report prepared for the former chief executive of UK Sport by the Canadian consultant Roger Jackson has been passed to the consultants.

Crystal Palace National Sports Centre

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What guarantees are in place to secure Crystal Palace National Sports Centre as a world class centre of sporting excellence after the summer of 2006.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government, together with other stakeholders, are continuing discussion aimed at delivering a solution for the benefit of English Sport and local residents. However, subject to the resources available, it is for Sport England to determine how best to meet the objectives it has been set for English Sport and it is for the London Borough of Bromley together with the GLA to determine how best to meet the needs of its residents.

Sport: Overseas Tours

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will consider developing a formal protocol between them and national governing bodies of sport for tours and competitions with overseas countries which are considered to have an unacceptable record on human right issues.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Unless general sanctions are in place in respect of individual states, decisions on overseas tours are sporting matters for national governing bodies and, where appropriate, for international sports federations. National governing bodies in the UK are fully aware that, in all such cases, the Government remain committed to providing advice and guidance on the safety and security of players, administrators and spectators, or on other issues on which governing bodies may seek guidance.

Public Bodies: Disabled Members

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the overall 2005 target for disabled members of public bodies; and which government department is (a) nearest and (b) furthest from achieving these goals.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government's aim is that there should be increased participation of disabled people in public appointments. Statistics on disabled people holding public appointments show that since 2001, when statistics were first collected, there has been an increase in the representation of disabled people on the boards of public bodies from at least 1.5 per cent in 2001, to at least 3.1 per cent in 2003.
	Information abut the progress made by individual departments is provided in Delivering Diversity in Public Appointments 2003 published on 17 December 2003, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House.